Clarence parkrun – Event 16 – 2024

You can make me whole again

Back in 2023, I had completed my 33km Record Breaker Challenge i.e. I’d completed every parkrun within 33km of my average parkrun location, I was elated. Not one to stop though I started planning to get to 45km.

Then someone had the audacity to start a new parkrun right in the middle of my completed green patch.

I wasn’t mad, just disappointed 🫣

Then 3 weeks later Worden parkrun started (They may as well be twinned for reasons you’ll see later) and opened up another gaping hole in my Parkrun Voronoi map.

I’d already planned most of the first 6 months of 2024, but this was swiftly re-arranged to incorporate these new runs.

Clarence parkrun was especially on my list for a few different reasons.

1) It had become my NENYD (Nearest Event Not Yet Done)

2) I was eager to travel and see it as I have some history in Bury, and

3) There are people at Clarence who had relocated there from Heaton parkrun and it would be lovely to see them.

So, just as the PTSD was abating from Worden parkrun

I planned to repeat the experience at Clarence parkrun, two mud strewn kin who are not too far apart in distance, but twinned with each other due to the need to cross quagmires to get around the course.

Of course, I’m joking (or maybe I’ve just gone mad).

After a relative lie in for any recent parkrunday (getting up about 7:40), I headed up to Clarence park to see what was happening.

After having a look at the Lido and the park, then catching up with friends, my running crew arrived. Graham was there, and Helen, but here was a new person for 2024, Sally 😀.

I jest, Sally’s a good friend, I just don’t see her very often. It was lovely to see them all, and of course we had a photo in front of the sign.

(L-R) Geoff, Helen, Sally, Graham and Luna

I’ve been feeling a bit guilty as I’ve not been volunteering at all, so I had offered to Tail Walk and had also been persuaded by this week’s RD Eve into doing the run report. To be honest, after the exertion of last week’s slog through the mud, a more sedate walk was better for me, and I was going to write this blog anyway, so adding a little more writing is no chore.

The first timer’s welcome was brill by Andrea, giving us some history about the park and the linked field, I always love to learn a bit about where I am. I won’t spoil it for you, it’s worth the drive alone.

We then lined up for the pre-run announcements and RD Eve completely embarrassed Luna, Moi? No, I was fine 😊.

With a swift count of 3-2-1, GO! We were off and I spent a little time getting to know my fellow tail walker, Paul.

Photo courtesy of a volunteer

A fellow parkrun tourist, Paul works in local radio and we chatted all things parkrun on the way around, he even recorded a short interview with me to air on Wednesday on Rossendale Radio. It’s always good to meet new folks, especially nice people like Paul.

With all of the talking, the parkrun went quickly.

The run starts with two laps of Clarence park, all on tarmac. Let’s call this “The easy start” you then take a dogleg turn to the left and head onto Miss Walker’s field.

Within about 10 paces, the mud started, and continued, and continued, and continued. Two laps of a field where there was mud on the flat, mud on the hills, mud at the top, and mud at the bottom. I’m not saying it’s all mud, because that would be a lie, but where there is mud, it’s not easy to go around and stay dry. Do NOT come here in your new running shoes unless you really want to break them in.

After 2 laps of the field you revert to the park again and complete 3/4 of a lap to the finish.

There’s a Volunteer run snack hut and a cafe, but the cafe wasn’t open today. I think they’d heard about Graham’s high standards for teacakes.

The welcome was warm and the event was good. With Heaton, Bolton, and Oldham being the closest events, Bury has needed a parkrun event for a while. It’s still a newish event (despite being more than 6 months old) and I expect it will have a great impact on the local area.

As a result of the last few weeks, I’ve now completed every parkrun within 45km of my average parkrun location, and my nearest parkrun to home (my NENYD) is 37km away.

If you want to travel to an event with small numbers, a bit (OK a lot) of Mud and a friendly welcome, this is the one.

Challenges Progressed

• parkruns completed in 2024 – 16/16 available
• Cowell Club – 85th Event out of 100
• North West Region – 57/76
• Greater Manc’d up – Completed (22/22)

Next 4 planned parkruns

• 20th April – Millhouses
• 27th April – Birkenhead
• 4th May – Bowling park
• 9th May – Amager Faelled (Copenhagen)